Welcome back. Great is His faithfulness.
John 5:44
How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?
"Trying to prove ourselves valuable to a world incapable of assigning real value is an exercise in futility. Yet we still do it because baked into our sin nature is a desperate need to be approved by man. For our fragile egos, rejection feels like an excruciating death. So, we kill ourselves for a respectable spot in our temporary little worlds." (Day 10: GLORY SEEKER, Page 51 The Chosen 40 Days with Jesus Book 3- Devotional).
John 5:41: "I do not receive honor from men." - Here Jesus is saying He seeks no honor or glory amomng the likes of men. He is however teaching us to seek only glory that comes from doing the Will of God and not of ourselves.
John 12:42-43
Walk in the Light
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
THESE RULERS, according to St. John Chrysostom, are in reality the worst slaves in that they are enslaved by the opinions OF MEN. This kept them from leading as GOD would have them lead.
Prayer Focus from the Devotional - page 53
"Pray that you'd seek the glory that comes from God instead of the acceptance and praise that comes from other people. Ask God to show you where your ego is getting in the way of a deeper connection with Him- and then repent of it. Thank Him for Jesus and that through Him you can know your true worth.
Matthew 10:32-33: Confess Christ Before Men
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Have there been times when you you've denied Jesus because of fear of rejection? Describe the circumstances. I have not denied Christ since fully surrendering my life and works over to Him. He is the One who guides me to do His Will and not my own. If recall ever denying Jesus it would be a time when I was serving in the military over twenty years ago in South Korea, I feared rejection than because I was a weaker version of myself. Now I much stronger thanks to Christ.
Have you ever tried to prove yourself valuable to a world incapable of assigning real value (friends, family, sports, academia, work, social media- maybe all of these)? We are all guilty of this to some sort. If I'm being honest I'm not much of a people pleaser. But there were moments before my walk with Christ where all of these areas caused some problems. Now I live strictly for Christ, I find myself ignoring the ungodly world around me by focusing on my BIBLE READINGS AND STUDIES.
Has there been a time when you were faithful to Jesus and faced consequences of rejection? What was the result, and how did it affect you? I face rejection all the time doing the Lord's work it tells me I'm on the right path with Christ. Truth is under attack because Wisdom (Christ) is under attack His ways His teachings. I relish in rejection because its through these trials we are made stronger and our faith is made into perfection by Christ.
In Christ love Jared W Campbell
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